WASHINGTON: US flights will return to normal schedules on Monday after reductions imposed during a government shutdown were lifted, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The FAA said Sunday evening that restrictions would be lifted and “normal operations can resume” across the country from 6:00 a.m. Washington time (1100 GMT) on Monday. Thousands of flights were canceled due to understaffing during the shutdown, which stretched into a record 43 days.

The agency says the current mandatory 6% flight cuts are being downgraded to 3% even though the record 43-day shutdown ended Nov. 12.

The Federal Aviation Administration said it is lifting all restrictions on commercial flights that were imposed during the government shutdown at 40 major U.S. airports.